Michaela has worked all her life in pursuit of the achievement of her… um, *father’s* goal, and bright, gifted and determined, she’s succeeded. Which isn’t bad. Michaela’s won a scholarship to study music in London, and the only hitch is that London sits inconveniently at a 17,000-kilometer remove from Australia and her closest friend, Thomas, an aspiring writer whose hopes may exceed his talent, and who certainly isn’t her parents’ concept of a suitable mate.Just when she seems safely and happily ensconced in her life in England, though — enjoying her studies, a shared flat, and the prospect of a new life — she’s stricken with pneumonia and induced to return to Australia for a month or two to recuperate, again bringing Thomas into her sphere and kindling a blaze of romance between them. But for Michaela, circumstance is a driving force, and Thomas may eventually cease to be her focus.

What I particularly liked about Sharp’s novella was its absolute verisimilitude. Young women like Michaela are influenced (for good or for ill) by their fathers, in just the way that Sharp describes. And life’s vicissitudes do seem to intervene in exactly these chaotic ways… more often than one would think statistically plausible. It was altogether easy to get into Michaela’s head (and Thomas’, for that matter). Whether Michaela chooses Thomas, her music instructor, or neither, I won’t reveal — but her thoughts and feelings have the ring of authenticity, and engage and captivate the reader.

Of course, in a world that little values art (of any sort), Michaela’s pursuit of music was not actually less quixotic or unrealistic than Thomas’ pursuit of a literary career, so there was a judgmental double standard emanating from her parents, and a measure of hypocrisy inherent in her initial acceptance of their views, but this, too, was entirely realistic. The best characters are the ones who are flawed, tempest tossed by fate, and bound to confront their own conflicted feelings. This novella *is* good art, in any case (as well as an extraordinarily good read), and deserves to be valued. Five stars.